The Everglades is home to many species of wildlife including the American alligator or Alligator mississippiensis. American alligators are large crocodilians (reptiles) that are only found in the United States and can grow up to me more than 12 feet and can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. LINk Alligators are dark in color with a wide snout. They like to live in freshwater and eat fish, invertebrates, frogs, birds, and mammals. An alligator's jaw is strong enough to capture prey and crack a turtle’s shell. The male alligators are larger than the female alligators. Alligators have dark-colored skin that is covered with small bony scales that are called scutes. The alligator’s skin is used as armor. The American Alligator mostly hunts at night and will capture prey in the water and drag it down where the animal will die. They have a long tail that is very strong which helps them propel through the water as well as webbed feet. They are cold-blooded and depend on the sun to keep them warm. Alligators as well as lizards and snakes will bask in the sun or dig a hole in the mud to keep warm and trap the heat. In the state of Florida, alligators have a large population that is flourishing. In the springtime in Florida (like April) it is mating season. Alligator courtship takes place in the water and can last up to a minimum of 3 days all the way to 17 days (about 2 and a half weeks). When alligators are courting, they may swim together or bask in the sun for days at a time. Prospective alligator mates may press each other under the water to test each other's strength. When the courtship is complete the pair of alligators will return to the water and mate. Make alligators May move throughout various locations and mate with females. Female alligators are responsible for building and protecting their nest until the alligator hatchlings emerge. Female alligators will nest and lay eggs about 2 months after mating. Alligators hatch in late August or September. LINK
American Alligator. Photo By Mackenzie Briggs.
Everglades National Park. Photo By Mackenzie.
Reading about the alligator courtships was really cool. It seems pretty normal that the female does most of the work and the male just moves on to court another female. Why would they wait around and actually do work. I also was not aware that they do most of their hunting at night. No wonder why they did not seem very active while we were there.
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot about alligators and other crocodilians but haven't actually learned too much about their courtship rituals, so learning about them is a bit of a new experience. I knew the mother was the primary caregiver in the relationship but didn't know that the Male left to attempt to court other females. I really like how females tend to carry their young in their mouths.
ReplyDelete